WISCONSIN RAPIDS –St. Patrick's Day comes but once a year — so local businesses make sure they stock up to meet the holiday demand.

Items often associated with St. Patrick's Day — from corned beef and cabbage to dark Irish beers — will be offered at local taverns and restaurants today to give customers a chance to enjoy a little Irish-themed cheer.

Great Expectations eatery staff started planning holiday-themed selections in early March, said Amy Scheide, one of the owners. Selections not only include traditional corned beef and vegetables, along with homemade soda bread, but also a Dubliner, a ground lamb burger with bacon and imported Dublin cheese as well as a dark chocolate-Guinness cake, some Bailey's Irish Creme gluten-free cupcakes, and a nutty Irish cupcake.

Great Expectations isn't the only business to feature a corned beef option.

Koconis does have some Irish roots, he said, but added "everybody turns Irish on St. Patrick's Day."

Preparation for St. Patrick's Day was a three-day effort for Karen and Tony Cline, owners of Tamaracks Pub in Wisconsin Rapids. They prepared a couple of roasts for customers last year but have eight roasts readied for this year's customers.

On Monday, Karen Cline had a roaster full of cabbage and also cooked up pots of potatoes and carrots. Although the corned beef already was in the cooler, a lingering aroma hung in the air.

While many might only cook corned beef in March, the Clines make the meal for their family — slow-cooker style — every couple months. Cline doesn't regularly add cabbage and carrots to his home version but does include potatoes, he said.

Speaking of home cooking, there are those who enjoy cooking up their own Irish dishes. Ron Kizewski, meat department manager at West Grand IGA, in Wisconsin Rapids, said that although the business does sell beef brisket on a regular basis, more is ordered to have on hand for the days leading up to St. Patrick's Day.

Just how much of an increase? Kizewski usually goes through about two cases, about 40 pounds each, of brisket a month. This time of year, that increases to 15 to 20 cases, he said.

"(Customers) have been coming in pretty regularly," he said.

Sales usually pick up the beginning of March and keep going through St. Patrick's Day, Kizewski said.

"And then it drops right off again," he said.

All that cooking might make one thirsty, so what would St. Patrick's Day be without some Irish brews and beverages? While Mulligan's Pub won't have green beer on tap, the bartenders can cater to customers' desires to go green, said JenLukaszewski, tavern manager.

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Potatoes and carrots cook on the stove at Tamaracks Pub on Monday in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day corned beef offering.(Photo: DEB CLEWORTH/Daily Tribune Media)

"We can green up any cocktail you wish," Lukaszewski said. "We do have food coloring for that."

And she expects it to be busy.

"St. Patrick's is the new, New Year's Eve for people," she said. "For whatever reason, if you're not Irish, you're Irish on St. 'Paddy's'."

It's best for patrons not to rely on luck when it comes to driving home after celebrating on St. Patrick's Day or any day, said Lukaszewski, who also is president of the Wood County Safe Ride Program. While Pub Pilots is not available for the holiday, Lukaszewski wanted to remind patrons to always have a plan to get safely home.

Deb O'Cleworth — who admits to picking out the little marshmallows out of that "magically delicious" cereal — can be reached at 715-423-7200, ext. 6730 or deb.cleworth@cwnews.net. Follow her on Twitter @DebCleworth.